A couple of members have recently mentioned vacations around here, so I thought a general 'vacations' thread might be fun to start (that, plus I'm in a bad mood & I need to cheer myself up ).

So - vacations...do you get one? many? Are you going anywhere this summer? Have you already gone? How will/did you get there? What was your favorite vacation of all time? The worst? Dream vacation(s)? Other miscellaneous vacation musings?

I'll fill you in on mine in a little bit - dinner's ready

I'm not going anywhere this summer.

My favorite vacation was to Colonial Williamsburg, D.C. and NYC. NYC was definitely my favorite place to visit. I stayed at the Plaza (for free), the Mayflower and The Beacon Hotel (right next to the Beacon Theatre and Fairway on Broadway). If you haven't been to NYC you are missing the greatest city in the world.

Just this past weekend, I went backpacking in the Columbia River Gorge. 28 total miles, 14 in 14 out. I'm still sore and have the blisters to prove it :/ (I'm also a wuss)

Absolutely beautiful area though. I hope this won't be my last bp'ing trip this summer

--cheers

I leave Saturday for a week of sunbathing, scalloping, fishing and anything else to do with the beach.

I am renting a beach house for a week.

I'll be sitting on the deck, watching the sun set, drinking a margarita and listening to Van Morrison sing...

These are the days of the endless summer
These are the days, the time is now
There is no past, there's only future
There's only here, there's only now
Oh your smiling face, your gracious presence
The fires of spring are kindling bright
Oh the radiant heart and the song of glory
Crying freedom in the night

I'll miss you all though .

I'll be gone from this Saturday until next Sunday to the beautiful white beaches of Panama City Beach, Florida. I probably won't do much more than take in the sun, fight the waves and advance my general laziness of character. I will certainly miss the site -- both reading and contributing -- but it'll be great getting to read through all the new topics and posts when I get back.

Hopefully the rest of you will get to go somewhere or do something you enjoy this summer, or some other time this year. I especially hope so in the case of those working those 60+ hours each week (listed elsewhere in Casual Convo)

I have already had my vacation for this year. We went to New Orleans to attend a convention of people who are child-free by choice. (Actually, we spent very little time with convention stuff.) We stayed at a hotel in the Vieux Carre ("French Quarter") and walked around that area most of the time. We also had a tour of a nearby swamp, which was wonderful. The area we explored had lots of great book stores, fascinating architecture, and neat little shops. Yes, we had some beignets. My reaction: What's the big deal? We had better meals at a Cajun/Kosher/Middle Eastern restaurant (!) and a gourmet pizza place.

Our best vacation ever would be when we made a big swing through Glacier National Park, Yellowstone National Park, Grand Tetons National Park, and Badlands National Park. An astonishing amount of scenic wonder. Our best urban vacations would be our trips to Madison, Wisconsin, which has wonderful book stores and restaurants, as well as a great framers' market.

Our dream destination is Alaska. Maybe some day.

I don't think I have ever really had a bad vacation. Mostly we know what we are going to experience, and enjoy it.

I've gone on a few mini weekend vacations out to my boyfriends house which is by a large state park (Patapsco Valley State Park). We go hiking a lot during the days. Theres another park by my house (Seneca Creek State Park) and Sugarloaf Mtn, which are great for hiking adventures.

I also went for a 2 night excursion to hickville (ie: hardford co) Maryland for the 4th of july where I swam, ate a lot of good food, and watched them launch real fireworks right in the backyard, we also had a bonfire!

thats pretty much been it for me...but those are good enough vacations as far as I'm concerned, I dont need a beach

I blew my vacation budget for the year before the year even began, but it was worth it. Three weeks in Australia - Sydney, Blue Mountains, Tasmania, Grampians, Melbourne - in December. Can't beat it. Cradle Mountain was absolutely the best climb ever. Plenty of info, pictures, sounds on my website if anyone's interested.

I tend to take my vacation time in smaller chunks these days and have no immediate plans over the next few months. I'll probably be getting up to NYC for a few days over the summer sometime (and, you're right, Rancid, New York is the greatest city in the history of the universe). There's also been talk of a camping expedition to the Okeefenokee Swamp...

My best vacation ever was probably a three-week trip to Germany and the Netherlands with my friend Fil (my favorite lesbian of all time). We saw some great museums, did a lot of clubbing, got some terrific hash, hiked and cycled through some beautiful landscapes, met up with another friend of ours for a few days in Berlin, and both managed to have sweet little summer romances with natives during our final week or so. We almost didn't come home...

With my current job, which I've been at for five years, I don't get a vacation.

About a year before I started there, I did take a roadtrip to Salt Lake City which was simultaneously bizarre and fun. Salt Lake, in my opinion, is a very weird city, but it is very clean, and it is surrounded by beautiful scenery. It's one of my fondest vacation memories, because it was a contributing factor in forming the relationship between myself and my significant other.

We do take mini-vacations around Colorado. This is an amazing state with lots of great things to see.

My vacation wishlist: I've always wanted to visit the southeast, particularly Louisiana and Georgia. I would also like to visit Iran, and since my sigoth's family is from Austria, we plan on visiting there in the future.

I have been lucky. I lived in Spain for 9 years which I consider almost total vacation time and I live in Alaska now, which in its complete wilderness is also somewhat a vacation, with extremes.

Today I was driving on the only 'thoroughway' through town, no freeways here, and a young yearling moose was crossing a 4 lane and made it without accident, but we were braking. I see bears and cubs alot, moose and calves in the wild yet so next to you. In my doggie park I saw a young moose calf at three days birth and later saw it play in puddles and get real curious about us and came within 15 ft with no fear. I dove here recently and it was spectacular, an 8 ft sea lion swam all around me, and I was scared, she was not.

Ive watched the cycle of wildlife here that Ive never seen anywhere Ive ever been, geese walking on the streets and moose walking in the city, eagles, otters, wild swans and salmon runs.

I still dream of beaches. Im a beach baby. I love Mexico and all Yucatan places. If I could Id live in Mexico. They have everything except money. Fruits, fish, friends, laughter and close family ties. Its my paradise.

I'm baaaaaaaaaaaack!! I missed everyone! Vacation was great. I could have stayed another week .....or ten.

I didn't watch any news or read any papers so I have a lot of catching up to do. I've been home 2 hours, put a few things away and logged on. You people are in my blood! I thought about many of you while I was away.

((((((((((((((((America's Debate)))))))))))))

Welcome Back Beladonna!

I know what your going through...I was gone for 42 days, and I'm still going through posts trying to catch up.

Probably going to finally go to the Phillipines this year. The wife and son have gone in the past.

Welcome back!!! We've missed you!

I'll be going to visit my sister in Boulder, Colorado on Wednesday and won't be back until the following Tuesday. I haven't had a vacation in two years, so I'm really looking forward to getting away for awhile. I hope the weather is pleasant out there...

Are you going to stop by and meet cyan, AuthorMusician, Kisov or unambomber (our Colorado members)?

Sigh - I wish I had some vacation time

I'm not certain vacation would be the word, but we've had a couple of spontaneous trips.

I've had a postcard stuck to the front door for several weeks because the Declaration of Independence was brought to the Gerald Ford Museum in conjunction with his 90th birthday celebration. Details of The Declaration of Independence Road Trip are available on line. Today was the final day in Grand Rapids.

There were 200 broadside copies printed on July 4, 1776, and distributed through the colonies before it was signed. Twenty five of these copies are now known to exist. This is the 25th one discovered, as the proverbial $4 purchase at a flea market.

The current owners have put together a fantastic presentation, and it is on tour across America with the motto, "How will it inspire you?" There were electronic voting machines with such referendum questions as "Should the legal voting age be lowered to 16?" You were allowed to "register" as 16 and older, or under 16. Either way, you were allowed to vote. There was a film which covered the history of the creation of The Declaration of Independence, a film in which several actors took turns reading it aloud, and tidbits of history covering people or events that were inspired by reading it.

It was a reasonably priced event, not at all crowded today, and well worth the time spent.

Afterward, we were only a couple miles from where I grew up. The houses are still standing on either side of where I lived, but nothing has ever been rebuilt on the lot. I tried to drive by the house of an "old (She was in her 70's when we met.) friend," but there is a children's park where she used to live. She loved children, but was never able to have any, so somehow it seemed very appropriate to see a park there with tiny play equipment.

I think I'll change my avatar for a day or two, if no one objects, to the road trip logo.

Vacation? I'm not quite sure what that word means....

Find out!

I'm retired, and I can look back on the 84 hour weeks, the summers without a day off, etc. One summer, I was the only person broken in on three separate jobs. More often than not, I was working on Christmas. I remember joking that the only way I knew that I was working too many hours was if the guard stopped checking my I.D. when I came to work, and my wife started checking my I.D. when I got home.

Now I carry a GPS unit to keep from getting lost on a trip across town. At 57, I've been out of state a few times, but the first time that I drove across a state line was in late June of this year.

If I had driven my kids to the Grand Canyon once, maybe the'd have kept in touch.

Well, I am off. A long weekend at the beach. Probably the last one this year .

I'll think of ya'll while I sip Corona on the deck, bbbwwwhhhaaaaaa

Love ya - Mean it!!

Bela

Have a great time, Bela...I'm green with envy.

During the summer, our family went to Grand Teton/Yellowstone.

Here's some pictures from our trip:

AGGHH I hate you guys. I have about a month of leave saved, but this place would burn down without me here. Luckily I can take 3 or 4 day passes once in awhile. I guess I'll just have to save up for my fantasy vacation to Costa Rica.

Bela-Have a Corona for me , I'll be playing Mr. Mom this weekend....no rest for me.

great pictures otseng! Tatonka's!

I've always wanted to ski Jackson Hole! We've skied just about every place else, Park City, Utah being one of our favorites. MAYBE this winter...

Lots of 3 day mini vacations for us lately. Many to mexico. We're heading to Seattle in a coupla days, again, for only 3 days. agh.

JAIME! Im so insulted, I live in CO too! Just not good enough to remember, I guess.

Ill be leaving for France next Friday, with a stop in FL for the weekend before I leave. Its going to be another six month "vacation" :)

I'm so sorry, Kim I think I need a vacation

Hey Kim! Drop me a message when you're coming over here!

The Fiji Islands are a great place to vacation. I took my honeymoon there
several years ago. We flew over the International Date Line to get there.
Because it is so close to Australia and New Zealand we met a lot of really
nice folks from those parts. I highly recommend it if you don't mind a 10
hour flight (from L.A.).. It's a beautiful part of the world.